Overview

India is the world's second most populous country and its fastest growing major economy since 2000. It is also among the world's largest producers and consumers of a range of crop and livestock commodities, and ranked 17th as an agricultural importer and 13th as an exporter during 2011-13. While still classified as a lower middle income country, rapid economic growth is expanding and diversifying food demand, pressuring the farm sector to boost currently low levels of productivity, and challenging agricultural policies traditionally focused on self-sufficiency.

The ERS outlook and research programs focus on understanding the supply, demand, and policy factors that influence India's behavior in world markets for commodities important to U.S. agriculture. In addition, because India accounts for the largest share of the global population classified as food insecure, ERS research addresses questions related to the measurement and causes of household food insecurity in India. A complete list of recent ERS reports and articles is available here.

India is likely to remain an important player in global agriculture markets as an importer of vegetable oils and pulses, and an exporter of rice, cotton, and beef (see "Food Policy and Productivity Key to India Outlook" (Amber Waves, July 2015). (Chart # 2, below)

Despite progress, India still accounts for the largest share of the world's food insecure population. The new National Food Security Act increases the households eligible for subsidized food grains, but questions remain on its impact (see "India Continues to Grapple with Food Insecurity" (Amber Waves, February 2014).

Analysis of household data found significant differences in calories consumed and the number of food-insecure people under alternative plausible estimates of the calorie content of some foods and of meals eaten outside the household (see
Estimating the Range of Food-Insecure Households in India
(May 2012).